My work focused on using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) to study thin metal films deposited on organic self-assembled monolayers. The systems we were looking at were used in Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices as sensors of hydrogen gas.

I used current-sensing atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize these films in terms of their morphologies and conductivities in order to better understand how these structures grow on a scale of nanometers.

Sean Keuleyan joined the Borguet Group in the summer of 2006, while studying Film and Media Arts at Temple University. Drawn by the allure of Physical Chemistry and the enthusiasm of Prof. Eric Borguet of the Chemistry department, Sean made and carried out plans to complete a double major in Film and Chemistry. Over the next two years, he stayed on with the Borguet group while completing the B.S. Chemistry requirements and setting sights on a graduate degree.

Looking back, Sean had this to say about his last few years at Temple: "Working with Professor Borguet and the students there was truly a life-changing experience. After three years of study at the University, my future changed in the course of several weeks, and solidified over the next two years. My time with the Borguet Group has done much more than given me an experience in research, it has made the transition to graduate school completely transparent, and developed my approach to problems in research and coursework, as well as everyday life. If the past two years have been any indication of what I have to look forward to, then I am extremely excited about the path I have chosen."

Graduated in May 2008, Sean is now working toward his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Chicago and intends to pursue a career in academics, continuing the research and educational practices he's picked up from his time in the Borguet Group.